3371_Dandan Hong Rewrite scene analysis
**Posted by Dan Dan at 8:25 PM
Scene Analysis
[Memento]
DanDan Hong
3371
1, Scene Overview
Memento is a Psychological thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Lenny is a main character who has suffering from short-term memory loss, use notes, photos and tattoos to hunt for the man who killed his wife. He doesn’t want to face the truth is he kills his wife by accident. He chooses forget and forged a fake memory, because he feels painful and guilty. He always tries to find the murder, however he already killed that guy. Revenge is the power to encourage him to continue his live. This propped up the meaning of his life.
This scene is we will explore the Lenny try to lie to himself.
2. Scene Analysis
Duration: 1:29:43- 1:30:01
Character: Lenny, Sammy, patient and nurse
Setting: Hospital
Properties: Chair, Table, desk, plant, door
Color: It is black and white color in this shot. Director use Black and White to express Lenny’s past. Also it is use black and white color express Lenny’s condition.
Sound: The sound type is non-diagetic, use people talking to telling story. Lenny talks in the phone with someone about what happen to Sammy. In this part, he just likes a narrator to tell a story to audience.
Music: In this part it got background music, it is played as the soundtrack. It sense of loss you feeling, but at the same time you do not know what you have lost. Just like Lenny talk about Sammy’s story, but he don’t remember that is what happen on him. Sometimes music can tell audience what happen next, happy or sad.
Dialogue: The dialogue in this scene is Lenny talk in the phone with someone. The dialogue is clearly to tell audience what happen on Sammy. That is what Lenny’s story in his mind and how his wife dies. It gives audience an important message.
Lighting: However it is black and white color in the shot. But there has a sunshine come thought window in hospital. The sunshine is behind Sammy. It is highlights of his lonely and poor.
Contrasting area: Foreground much visible than the background, especially when the camera moved to Sammy face the background become blur, so it more contrast, the main character become more clearly.
Character Analysis
Character Movement: Sammy sits on the chair and looking around. Sammy’s eyes looking other people’s movement.
Character Relationship: Sammy is Lenny’s client, Lenny thinks Sammy got short-memory issue and he has kill his wife by accidently. He tells everyone Sammy’s story, but the true is Sammy is Lenny, and Lenny is Sammy.
Editing
Editing style: Some frames use short sequence, such like a guy who walk pass front Sammy, then suddenly Sammy become Lenny. It used to show the interest part, if director didn’t add this scene, the movie will make audience more confuse. Some frames use long sequence, it is used to show where character is and use setting to express character’s condition.
Transition: First, it is Sammy sit in the hospital and it jump cut to Lenny talk in the phone, then it back to Sammy sit in the hospital. It uses a two frames become one. It is effect on the audience. It is a little bit make all movie more complicate and more interesting.
At 1:30:00. Director use a guy who walk pass front Sammy to be transition.
Cinematography
Shot type: In this scene, the director has uses three different shot type. Close up (when Lenny talk in the phone) used to show Lenny’s emotion. Zoom in (When Sammy sit in the hospital, then camera start zoom in) used to show let audience know how the condition around character. Medium shot (Sammy look people who walk pass him) it is show the character body language and how character situation is.
Camera Angle: The camera angle is on eye level 1. It doesn’t change to use another angle. It puts character in the middle of the screen.
Camera movement: In this scene first, camera is slowly zoom in to character half body. And know what character’s movement and changing.
Depth of Field: In this scene, the focus is in the Sammy and Lenny. Use background blur to express Sammy’s lonely.
Timing: In this shot, director use 18 second to zoom in Sammy from whole body to half body. Then he just use 1 second to show audience, Sammy is Lenny. It will give audience an answer that Lenny try to lie to himself. But if audience didn’t real catch up on that second, they will lose an important message. That is amaze timing.
Total composition: The whole composition shows how Lenny is think about Sammy’s question, he talk about Sammy’s situation. Director use a second to show audience Sammy is Lenny in this sequence. Sammy sit on the chair and a people walk pass him at the same time, Sammy become Lenny. That is an important moment in a specific way.
Deconstructed Meaning: This scene shows Lenny tells a story about his client Sammy. And what happen on Sammy, however he got short-term memory like Sammy. But he believes he better than Sammy. What he talks about Sammy is what is happen on Lenny himself. He makes up a story to lie to himself. He could not face to himself and he chooses to lie to himself.
Character: Lenny
Setting: Hotel room
Properties: bed, telephone, book,
Color: It is black and white color in this shot. Director uses Black and White to express past.
Dialogue: This entire scene is use monologue. Director addition Lenny talks in the phone to confuse all the people think. Let more people trust Lenny and Sammy not same people. Lenny is just an outsider to tell story.
Lighting: All this scene is shot in room and use black and white color. Although this shot in the room, but it use natural light, the lighting is come from window.
Contrasting area: Foreground much visible than the background, camera is close up to Lenny’s face and his expression is more obvious. Represent character’s feeling and condition.
Character Analysis
Character Movement: Lenny move from floor to sit on the bed. He moves enter into the frame from off-screen, he moving during shot.
Editing
Editing style: The structure is not arbitrary. This film structure is use color sequence and black white sequence to represent Lenny’s now and past. In this scene uses black and white sequence. It uses few short sequences of Lenny talk to insert and editing this scene. It affects audience’s normal logic and makes people more confused about the story.
Transition: In this few shot are use jump cut. Normal people use transition is express it is in the same timeline and same part of story.
Cinematography
Shot type: close up. Camera is close up to Lenny’s face. More clearly see his face. Lenny’s eyes are empty and he feels sad.
Camera Angle: The camera angle is on eye level 1. It puts character in the middle of the screen. People can see clearly of character’s background. The background prominent Lenny’s lonely.
Camera movement: Camera stays still when Lenny sits on the floor or bed. And it also following character’s move.
Depth of Field: All the sequences in focus Lenny. It uses position the camera on middle. Foreground is clearly than background.
Timing: Lenny talk about Sammy’s situation, it jumps to Sammy part. It jumps back to Lenny part when he tells what he feel about Sammy’s problem and situation.
Total composition: Lenny’s memory problem to makes up the whole of the sequence. He makes up the story of Sammy and his wife. It is design to tell audience Lenny cannot remember what happen in 5 minutes ago.
Deconstructed Meaning: This scene shows Lenny tells a story about his client Sammy. And what happen on Sammy. It has a good sequences editing and the structure is not arbitrary. Each different sequence and scene yields more information. In this scene we can real understand who Lenny is and who kill his wife.
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